Ancient Paths through Text and Image
Mark Morford, Classics
1996 TTI Fellow
Email:
Project website: http://cti.itc.Virginia.EDU/~mpm8b/
Instruction in the Greek and Roman civilizations demands the lively interaction of text and images. Classicists have long been creative in the use of the traditional media of slides, films and music, but have been restricted by the limitations of the standard media to a linear - and often technologically cumbersome - presentation. The computer opens up a wealth of multimedia and hypertextual possibilities for the scholar interested in enriching and expanding the power of the classical text through other modes of learning. Mark Morford is creating units in greek and Roman Civilizations and Classical Mythology for use in classroom presentations or for individual study. Initially each unit will consist of a brief text with images based on a specific topic, for example, Dido in Vergil's Aeneid, or the gods and their mythology in Greek city-states, or the monuments and texts that illustrate the late Roman Empire and early Christianity. Through hypertext links it will be possible to study particular topics in greater depth, for example, the illuminations of fifth century manuscripts of Vergil, tapestry cycles of the story of Dido, legends of heroes from early Roman history, or the sculptural programs of the Temple of Zeus at Olympia and the Parthenon at Athens. Eventually Morford intends to include music in his units, for example, passages from operas based on the classical sources, such as Monteverdi's Il Ritorno d'Ulisse in Patria, Purcell's Dido and Aeneas, Berlioz' Les Troyens, or Gluck's Orfeo ed Euridice. Morford's paths will be available, subject to copyright restrictions, on the World Wide Web. Since they are self-paced, they give students and teachers flexible access to materials in fields that are confusing in their diversity. At the same time, the framework of the units helps the user both to maintain a focus and to range further afield.